Norman Sjoman

Yoga meets abstract art in a search for enlightenment

Originally from Mission City in Western Canada, Norman Sjoman grew up in the rural, artisan village of Whonnock. Norman then spent the early Sixties in Vancouver where he studied Mathematical Philosophy and Literature at the University of British Columbia.

Norman then spent six years in Stockholm where he started his studies in Sanskrit. He later completed his doctorate in Sanskrit at the Centre for Advanced Studies at Pune University in India. Remaining in India for the next 25 years, Norman studied metaphysical knowledge systems with Pandits in Mysore.

“I restored paintings in India that were painted in the Mysore style and this influenced my own artwork. I met many modern artists in India who worked in both traditional and modern idioms feeling ultimately that it is a tradition of 'culture' that makes creative art whatever the form.”

In addition to his art, Norman has spent years reading original Sanskrit texts on yoga and has written a number of books on the subject including the 1996 book The Yoga Tradition of the Mysore Palace. He considers yoga to be an art form concentrated on exploring consciousness.

Norman currently resides in Calgary.

PREVIOUS EXHIBITIONS

2017: Portraits of Yogis and Siddhas. Hotbox Gallery, Calgary.

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